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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-02-23, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017. PAGE 19. Entertainment & Leisure Fraser, Carmichael to direct Festival shows A history with Blyth Severn Thompson, right, seen here playing the pregnant playwright in the 2015 Blyth Festival production of Seeds opposite David Fox, has been tapped to direct The Pigeon King later this year. She has also been named the theatre's Associate Artistic Director alongside Artistic Director Gil Garratt, a position Garratt himself held opposite then -Artistic Director Eric Coates for a number of years. Thompson spent many years in Blyth, whether it was as a part of the Young Company as a child or directing and acting at the Festival in her adult years. (TerryManzo photo) Continued from page 1 Taylor, will be directed by Brad Fraser, another newcomer to Blyth. Fraser is often referred to as one of the country's most well known playwrights. He is based in Edmonton and his plays have been produced all over Canada and throughout the world. Garratt says Fraser is "notoriously provocative" and he's just the right person to direct The Berlin Blues, a comedy that's "full of wit" that tells the story of German developers turning a First Nations reserve into a theme park. He says the show has a television - like quality to it, which is something that will work well with Fraser's direction style. Garratt says he's known Fraser for a number of years and has seen a number of his shows, so he's familiar with Fraser's work and thinks he'll be a good fit for the Blyth Festival. The third show, The Pigeon King, will be directed by Festival familiar face Severn Thompson, who has now been named the Festival's Associate Artistic Director, a title Garratt once held for a number of years under then -Artistic Director Eric Coates. Thompson has been with the Festival for a number of years in several different capacities. She was one of the lead actors in the 2015 production of Seeds, and she directed Beyond The Farm Show in 2013 after working with the Festival's Young Company one year earlier. In addition to being one of the country's leading stage actors, she is also the daughter of Paul Thompson who created The Farm Show, which in many ways proved to be the inspiration for the Blyth Festival. "She's got a deep history here and she knows this community," Garratt said of Thompson. In addition to understanding the community, Thompson also understands working on a collective play like The Pigeon King. Garratt says Thompson will be a member of the team alongside the writers and actors, developing concepts for the play and crafting it from start to finish. Telling the story of Arlan Galbraith, a tale that has deep roots with many community members, requires a director familiar with the area, Garratt said. Thompson is the perfect director to step into that role. Garratt also says that because of The Pigeon King's nature, he has Two one -woman shows coming to studio By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen As part of this year's Blyth Festival season, two powerful one - woman shows are planned for the Phillips Studio for short runs in August and September. Artistic Director Gil Garratt has programmed the two shows and says he's very excited about their potential with Blyth Festival audiences. He compares the Phillips Studio to chamber music, saying that some music is meant to be played by a large orchestra in a massive concert hall, while other music is meant to be performed by a quartet in a smaller venue. These two shows, he said, are perfectly suited for the intimate Phillips Studio, which will also be newly renovated for the 2017 season alongside Memorial Hall. The first show to be produced at the studio this season is called The Downs by Sheryl Scott and produced by the London-based Primordial Soup Theatre Company. The show was the runaway hit of the London Fringe Festival, which Joe Belanger of The London Free Press called "an artistic achievement" and the show audiences shouldn't miss at the 2015 festival. Scott, of London, is also the one woman at the centre of the show, playing Millie, an East Coast farm wife in the 1950s. Garratt said the show is very funny and will find a home with Blyth Festival audiences. It also means a lot to him that he's able to bring a relatively local artist from London to the Blyth Festival stage after success at one of the province's many Fringe Festivals. "I think it's very important to encourage these voices," Garratt said. The Downs will be produced at the Blyth Festival in the Phillips Studio in mid-August, Garratt said, before it will make way for the annual Young Company show, which will be held near the end of August. The second professional show scheduled for the Phillips Studio this season is called Watching Glory Die produced by the Mulgrave Road Theatre from rural Nova Scotia, a theatre company, Garratt said, not unlike the Blyth Festival. Watching Glory Die tells the story of the case of Ashley Smith, the 19 - year -old woman who died from self- inflicted strangulation while on suicide watch at the Grand Valley Institute for Women in Kitchener. Smith died while guards watched on video monitors and it would be 45 minutes until guards entered her cell and confirmed she had died. Smith has been renamed Glory for the purposes of Watching Glory Die, which is written by Governor General's Award-winning playwright Judith Thompson and stars Stephanie MacDonald in the lead role. MacDonald, Garratt says, will play Glory, as well as a number of different characters in the production, including one of the institute's guards and Glory's mother, to name a few. She won the 2016 Robert Merritt Award for outstanding female lead performance for her work in Watching Glory Die when it premiered in Nova Scotia. The show will be directed by Emmy Alcorn, the Artistic Director of the Mulgrave Road Theatre who has been with the company for nearly two decades. Group seeks veteran's families The Dutch -Canadians Remember as One Committee of Huron County is in the process of planning events to be held in Goderich during the month of May, 2017, during Canada's 150th anniversary year. These celebrations and ceremonies will be especially focused upon the 20 men from Huron County and the 7,600 Canadians who paid the supreme sacrifice during the push to liberate the Netherlands in 1944 - 1945. These events in May, 2017 will involve veterans, youth, military and of course the citizens of Huron County. The objective of these celebrations and ceremonies is commemoration, honour, remembrance and respect, and this will all take place at Liberation Memorial Park in Goderich. The events include the unveiling of a commemorative/memorial plaque, the unveiling of new signage at the park, the re -dedication of Liberation Memorial Park, a parade that will include many military vehicles of the World War II era, a Continued on page 20 r PARK THEATRE M1(4" GODERICH 51 30 The Square 9 524 7811 FOR MOVIE INFORMATION... www.movielinks.ca 1 'r• at long distance?? —800-265-3438 scheduled an extra -long rehearsal process to ensure success. The final main stage show, Ipperwash, will be directed by newcomer Jessica Carmichael, who has also written the play alongside Falen Johnson. Carmichael is the Artistic Director of the Carousel Players, a professional theatre for young audiences based in St. Catharines. She has also been heavily involved with Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto over the years. Because Carmichael is so involved with First Nations theatre throughout the country, and because she and Johnson have made so many connections in the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation community, Garratt felt she was the perfect director for her own show. "They've been working to build trust in that community and they're honouring that trust," Garratt said. He says that the Festival hasn't had many playwrights direct their own shows over the years, but he has known Carmichael for five years and trusts her creativity immensely, saying she is one of few other artists in his inner circle. The Blyth Festival box office is now open to members and will open for sales to the general public on April 1 at blythfestival.com. Brodhagen Chamber of Commerce MEN'S NIGHT Friday, March 3 PIGTAILS & RIBS DINNER 6:00 pm - 12:30 am Dinner 7:00 pm $25.00 each For tickets call: Roy 519-345-2209 Pauline 519-348-0940 Jim 519-345-2248 Advance tickets only by February 25 Brodhagen Community Centre Check out www.brodhagencommunitycentre.com REPRINTS OF PHOTOS taken by Citizen photographers are available to purchase. ALL ARE IN COLOUR 4x6 - $4.00 5x7 - $5.00 8x10 - $8.00 Phone to order — 519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114 Book Your Ad Now for the 2017 IPM Issue 35,000 copies in total Call The Citizen 519-523-4792 or contact sales representatives Brenda Nyveld e-mail: ads@northhuron.on.ca